PTI, TTAP sit-in enters fifth day as leaders consult

ISLAMABAD:

The sit-in by Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) entered its fifth day on Tuesday with protests continuing in two places in the red zone of the federal capital.

The sit-in, organized on the premises of Parliament, is led by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, also in the presence of Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, party chief Asad Qaiser and several senators are also present at the parliamentary event.

A separate sit-in is simultaneously underway at the main gate of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, in the presence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Additional prison vans were positioned outside KP House.

Read: PTI revives KP House protest after reviewing Imran’s health report

Meanwhile, a meeting is underway in the Opposition House under the chairmanship of Achakzai. Raja Nasir Abbas, Barrister Gohar and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja are participating in the session, during which consultations are being held regarding the ongoing sit-in. The meeting should determine the course of action.

The ongoing sit-ins are linked to concerns over the health of former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan. The demonstration by opposition MPs began on Friday and continued despite government assurances.

The lawmakers, led by Achakzai and Abbas, vowed that their sit-in would not end until Imran was transferred to specialized care. Protesters cited reports claiming that his vision in his right eye had deteriorated significantly and demanded treatment in the presence of his family and personal doctors.

PTI rejects medical report

The medical board constituted by the federal government reported improvement in the vision in Imran’s right eye. The committee, comprising two senior ophthalmologists, Dr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arif, examined him at Adiala jail on Sunday.

According to the two-page report, unaided vision in Imran’s right eye was recorded at 6/24 (partial), while the left eye measured 6/9. With glasses, vision improved to 6/9 (partial) in the right eye and 6/6 in the left. The report stated that the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and the cornea was clear, while noting a slight vitreous hemorrhage at the edge of the right eye and a moderate retinal hemorrhage in all four quadrants.

The report adds that swelling in the macula of the right eye is easing, with macular thickness reduced from 550 to 350 microns.

The board described current medications and treatment and recommended OCT angiography and fundus fluorescein angiography after completing anti-VEGF therapy. However, he made no recommendation regarding Imran’s transfer to a hospital.

Learn more: PTI’s Latif Khosa raises concerns over Imran’s health, secrecy of medical exam in letter to CJP

However, PTI leader Latif Khosa on Monday expressed concerns over Imran’s health and the secrecy surrounding his medical examination in a letter to Yahya Afridi, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

Imran’s sister Aleema Khan also posted on

“Tomorrow we will be at Adiala prison at 1:30 p.m., and we hope that the authorities will allow us to meet Imran Khan, because it is his legal right,” Aleema said, adding that the family would hold a press conference outside the prison at 4 p.m. after the meeting.